Bikers vs Cops

http://bikeportland.org/2008/07/24/last-of-three-bike-education-missions-this-morning-in-north-portland/

Here's a great article about what the Police are doing in Portland, Oregon...a city with a huge bicycle community. Also a great blog!

I'm not sure how I feel about this. The author reports that "8 motor vehicle operators were stopped (all were given warnings) and 53 'bicycle operators' were stopped. Of those, 51 received warnings and 2 were written up for citations (for 'egregious behavior')."

I like the fact that they're trying to get more bicyclists to obey the rules of the road. I'm definitely guilty of taking advantage of being on a bike but I try to follow the rules as much as I can. If I expect people driving cars to respect the rules so that I can feel safe on the road, I have to lead by example, you know?

Still, that ratio is totally off. 8 to 53? Come on...there's got to be something wrong with those numbers. I think they should get cops on bikes to see just how much crap we have to deal with. Or move it to a busier street.